Hearing vs Clarity with Hearing Aids

Hearing vs Clarity with Hearing Aids. Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix Arizona, discusses the difference between Hearing what someone says and Clearly Understanding what they are saying.

[debmussallem]

I have severe to profound loss. Yes I can hear but can’t understand. This is a great explanation. Lip reading has been my go to.

[SnuffySmith]

I've been wearing BTE hearing aids since the 90's and have seen many charts similar to your example but no one has ever explained the different alpha sounds as you did with your example. Thank you.

[dmoskaly]

This will be my first admittance to hearing loss and doing something about it. This video provided an excellent grounding in understanding what is going on and what my audiologist should know. I want to walk in with an abundance of knowledge and take control/responsibility for its betterment but I will appreciate/"listen" to their expertise.

[jackallread]

Great explanation of why I can hear someone but still not understand them… thanks!

[timothyjohnson]

Nice presentation. I knew quite a bit of it, but here's the problem; if you go to a hearing care professional to get all of these tests done and the two of you decide on a hearing aid, bring LOTS of money with you because these hearing aids cost about as much as a small sports car. You got that kind of money? I don't.

[jimc.]

Thank you so much, Dr. Cliff. You've described exactly what I believe my hearing problem is. For years I've struggled hearing what someone is saying near me in a crowded, noisy room. This is one of the main reasons I don't like such environments.

While watching TV late at night and not wanting to disturb my spouse, I'll wear Bluetooth earbuds and notice that I can hear everything so much better.

As you've stated in this video, my wife and I have both made comments on what a terrible job sound mixers do these days in movies. Yeah, it's not them. It's our hearing loss. Both of our mothers wore/wear hearing aids, so we're both possibly dealing with age related and hereditary hearing loss.

Thank you for educating me about my condition with such clear speech on your part. It's very helpful for those of us who are dealing with this. Two thumbs up (👍👍), liked and subscribed!

[josephrogers]

I went to the VA clinic in Waynesville, MO. I went for an annual visit for adjustment and boy did they. I had the real ear type and after that the world became a noisiy place, Clock Ticking, Bathroom vents loud, the clicking sounds on car turn signals and the furnace cold air return. I can even hear the tv without tv connect. Good Job Dr. Emily Beeman.

[russellkomoto]

I understood every single word you said with clarity....now to finish the video and hope you gave me tips on how to achieve 100% clarity

[Stephen-zxuf]

There’s also another more important factor in the equation for many aging folks that report MUMBLING… people mumble when they speak..
It depends a lot on the person speaking, their energy level, and their comfort level with the topic of conversation.
1. It’s more common, with age, that the volume level of the speaker gradually drops towards the end of a sentence, increasing a perception of mumbling or in combination with mumbling.
2. This is also seen in public speaking classes at any age where the speaker is less confident, and a similar phenomenon is seen when discussing uncomfortable subject matter, or when someone suddenly realizes they’re full of spit.
3. People get tired and the rate of mumbling increases. There’s a very high correlation between increased mumbling, increased age, and hearing loss of those around them.. it’s not a causal relationship.. just growing old together.

Also, if the problem is happening on the phone, don’t overlook that the speaker might have stepped into a room with lower reception which degrades the call quality..

The hearing problems are real enough on their own without the need to overstate them because people do in fact mumble as a measurable part of speech.

[jurrydevries]

Hi, thank you so much for the very clear explanation. You mentioned that age related hearing loss typically affects the high frequency tones. While hearing loss due to prolonged or excessive exposure to loud noise often results in lower frequency tones. So if you’re the poor guy who happened to work many years in an extremely loud noise work environment in a time frame where ear protection was limited to one being issued some tissues to roll and stuck in your ear, and you’re now in your sixties, you probably lost both high and low frequencies.
But that’s beside the point I wanted to make. The main take away is that I finally have heard a logical explanation why I partly more and more find myself in a situation that’s text book material and matches your example 100%. I never blamed it on sound quality of modern phones or televisions; that’s nonsense.
But I start to wonder why I couldn’t understand a single word while the volume was high enough to hear them speak plus the people speaking don’t mumble but are perfectly clear. The only explanation I could come up with was: “it’s all in between the ears” ( to stay in tune). Was considering visiting neurologist as it could be cognitive (although I doubt that) but now I can re-visit my audiologist (or better find a new one coz my current one tested 3 times and the end result and recommendation was; you’re getting old, this is part of the game get used to it)
It is a pity that I live almost on the other side now f the globe from Arizona otherwise I would be knocking on your door.

Would to close with one big thank you

[Hikermd]

Thank you so much for recommending a hearing up provider. I just had customer ear molds made for my hearing aids made by the hearing up provider. Much better hearing with them! Also the provider is so much more knowledgeable and professional than my prior provider!!! 8:05

[paulschrum]

Just want to let you know I just got an appointment with an audiologist in Raleigh, and I picked her because she carries the ReSound Nexia, and I picked the Nexia because of your recommendation.

[WilliamYoung-jv]

I have severe hearing loss of about 50%. Without my hearing aids I am pretty much deaf. With my hearing aids I can hear pretty much at a normal sound level. What has happened that as a result of my hearing loss my brain is loosing the ability to understand speech or words. Testing indicates that I am able to understand 6 out of every 10 words I hear. This was caused by having post operative infection in my leg that required me to wear an infusion pump for 7 months giving me a constant flow of antibiotics to cure the infection. They were able to save my leg but the antibiotics damaged the filaments inside my ears. My hearing loss is stable but if my ability to understand speech worsens, I will need Cochlear implants. I completely understand hearing words but being able to understand them. It is a complex problem and a lot of research is being done to find a cure. They are working on a treatment to make your body regrow the filaments inside the ear. I hope they find a resolution to this problem.

[JamieW-ob]

That was interesting; I have excellent hearing but in a room full of talking people I struggle. I call it 'speaker buzz.' The sound is there but I cannot define it!

[randallgoff]

Exactly! Thank you. I know I have hearing loss at high frequencies and tinnitus. But I can understand my daughters easily and a couple of friends who are all musicians both vocal and instrumental and love playing in musicals. So they have learned to speak clearly with good diction.

How can I teach people to speak clearly that think they have to yell for me to understand, without them getting angry?

[Elephantine]

Great explanations, as always. I have learned so much watching your videos.

[minsterhill]

This video was very informative. As the husband of a wonderful woman who has undergone three unsuccessful surgeries by supposedly reputable surgeons, I'm deeply concerned. Despite being told that her torn eardrum has healed, she still has no hearing in her right ear. We're unsure of what to do next, as her experience with a hearing aid after the first surgery was terrible - all she could hear were echoes of sounds. I wish I knew what to do to help her at this point

[GDitto]

I have clarity loss with severe CAPD, so my ReSound One have been life changing. I’d love the ReSound Nexia, but I’ll wait until the next model come out.

[CoreyTXdad]

This video describes my issue to the T. I just tested both Resound Nexia and Widex SmartRic for a week each. I was so excited to test Nexia since Ive been a fan of Resound for a long time and geek out on the tech they use however, for me it seems like with the SmartRic I was able to understand more words. They are both great aids IMO and at the top of the top.

[davekunkel]

This is the best explanation I've heard. Thank you!